Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the Government plans to support the effective adoption of a Convention on making women and men safe at work (a) within and (b) outside of the ambit of International Labour Organisation’s Questionnaire.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government welcomes the International Labour Organisation’s initiative on ‘Ending Violence and Harassment for Women and Men at Work’ and will continue its close engagement with social partners in the UK and ILO members in seeking an outcome that reflects the key challenges and builds on UK good practice.
In the UK, the law requires employers to assess the risks to employees, including the risk of reasonably foreseeable violence, decide how significant those risks are and implement preventative or control measures. The law is underpinned by an effective regulatory framework, extensive guidance and information for employers and employees, and a social partner agreement, all aimed at preventing workplace harassment and violence.
The UK is also leading the way internationally in efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, generating world-leading innovation and evidence on the most effective interventions.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward proposals to amend income support rules to remove the requirement that women who have fled domestic violence with their children, and whose abusive ex-partner has been the recipient of child benefit, must wait until the child benefit award is switched to them before they can receive income support as lone parents.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
There are no plans to change the rule that determines whether a person is responsible for a child in Income Support.
Women, or men, leaving the family home with their children because of domestic violence are able to claim other benefits without being paid Child Benefit. These are Universal Credit, or where that is not yet available, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, along with Housing Benefit.
Victims of domestic violence are not required to be available for work or carry out jobsearch activities in Jobseeker’s Allowance for up to 13 weeks and in Universal Credit for up to 6 months. Throughout this period their Work Coach is available to provide them with full support.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2017 to Question 108338, on universal credit, what information his Department holds on split payments for universal credit.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We do not have data that has been quality assured
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who in those areas where universal credit is being rolled out is receiving the payment by sex in each household.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106034, on universal credit, for what reason that data is not available; and whether his Department has plans to make that data available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We do not record the reasons for making split payments within Universal Credit households. DWP has no plans to begin capturing this information.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for universal credit have requested split payments on (a) any grounds and (b) the grounds of domestic abuse since the launch of universal credit in the pilot areas; and what proportion of the total number of applicants have so requested such split payments in each category.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The data requested is not available.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is for an employment and support allowance claim to reach the assessment stage in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham, Yardley constituency.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of benefit claimants who are accommodated in domestic violence refuges whose overall benefit entitlement has reduced as a result of changes to the benefit cap level after housing benefit paid to households in supported accommodation has been disregarded from the benefit cap calculation.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
This information is not available. However, the numbers affected are likely to be small.
Housing Benefit paid to claimants in specified accommodation (which includes refuges) is not taken into account for the purposes of the benefit cap. Circumstances can vary and where such cases arise, the Discretionary Housing Payments are available as additional support. The DHP Guidance Manual highlights that DHPs may be directed towards those individuals or families fleeing domestic violence.
Notes:
• The Department does not hold information on individuals in domestic violence refuges as part of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit data
• It is unlikely that many cases would still be in scope for the cap once housing costs regarding specified accommodation have been disregarded. Examples of where this could happen are: if the claimant has several children and is in receipt of a large Child Tax Credit award, or if they are receiving Housing Benefit for both the refuge and their home address, where the Housing Benefit for their home address would still be counted as income towards the cap.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish draft regulations on housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Removal of automatic housing support for 18 – 21 year olds, announced in the Summer Budget 2015, will be introduced in April 2017. The Department is liaising with a range of key stakeholders as we develop the detail of the policy. Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of plans to restrict housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds on those people; and which groups of young people will be exempted from those restrictions.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Removal of automatic housing support for 18 – 21 year olds, announced in the Summer Budget 2015, will be introduced in April 2017. The Department is liaising with a range of key stakeholders as we develop the detail of the policy. Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.